California Gov. Jerry Brown at the Jan. 9 press conference in Sacramento where he unveiled his proposed 2014-15 state budget. With the economy recovering and revenue up, California officials are projecting a budget surplus. (Photo by Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

We asked readers: How should California’s state government spend its “extra” cash?

First mistake would be to think the money is ‘extra’

The problem with California’s state government is that it sees any uptick in revenue as “extra” and wants to spend it. In Gov. Jerry Brown’s news conference, he noted that the state has a “wall of debt” of about $355 billion.

If an individual had debt of more than three times their annual income, wouldn’t that be cause for concern? Yes, putting $1.6 billion in a “rainy day” fund is a good start, but more needs to be done.

I’m appalled that Brown wants to steal $250 million from the cap-and-trade program to finance the boondoggle that is the high-speed rail project. Equally upsetting is the plan to allocate $65 million to process driver’s license applications from undocumented immigrants.

This windfall won’t last forever. It never does. Be prudent now so the next downturn won’t be so painful.

— Terrance Dauplaise, Torrance

Tragedy shows need to put more toward education

After dealing with the Etiwanda School District over a lack of busing that has led to traffic chaos in Rancho Cucamonga at East Avenue and Banyan Street, I think the extra money should go to education, with our kids’ safety as the No. 1 priority. The district blames Sacramento for an archaic funding formula from the 1980s that unfairly apportions transportation funds.

Children are the future of our nation. We must invest in their education now if we expect to reap a harvest in the future. Instead of Common Core, how about common sense?

I am amazed at the complexities involved in simply trying to bring back the bus. Please go to www.bringbackbus.com and sign our petition to help us meet our goal of restoring busing in our district.

Ashlyn Gardner’s tragic death in the crosswalk Dec. 4 must not be repeated. Help us establish the circle of safety in her honor.

— Tressy Capps, Fontana

If state has a surplus, taxes are too high

Proponents of Proposition 30 argued that its primary purpose was to fund schools. What wasn’t mentioned was that the money generated by higher taxation is not particularly for schools, but for anything the state decides to spend it on. The $65 million in Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget to give legal driver’s licenses to people who are illegally in this country should be against the law. The pittance of $250 million is less than one half of 1 percent of the total $68 billion cost of the high-speed rail boondoggle.

And after all the spending decisions are made, we will have been so overtaxed that there is still an extra $1.6 billion for a rainy day fund just because the tax is generating more money than even Brown can spend. Excess taxation and the skyrocketing cost of doing business in California have decimated every major industry in the state, including aerospace, medical electronics and computer products.

Decades of virtually unlimited streams of money poured into Sacramento from industry. Industry finally came to the conclusion that it was no longer economically feasible to locate in California, and left. But voters and politicians remain addicted to limitless resources of income even though those sources no longer exist.

And with the decreasing numbers of high-income earners taking their business, jobs and income to other states, the overwhelming majority of voters bent upon taxing the rich cannot be overcome.

— Patrick Weir, Chatsworth

Paying down the debt must be top priority

Paying down California’s debt would be the best choice. If we pay down the debt, we don’t need to pay interest on that part of the debt and it frees up money for many years for other things.

— Bob Diaz, Torrance

Extra money should be returned to taxpayers

Return it to the taxpayers. Here are four easy steps: Reduce sales tax, reduce income tax, reduce payroll tax, cut the retirement Ponzi scheme. For best effect, repeat steps one through four.

— Yvette Davis, Studio City

Remember that spending isn’t answer to everything

The state government should spend the “extra” cash by prioritizing. First should be paying our debts. Next should be “rainy day” funds. Last should be education. I have not heard anything about making schools better without more and more funding.

Outside of that, the question should be “What is best for the citizens of California?” Things like the high-speed rail project do not help all citizens. Obviously Gov. Jerry Brown has to pander to some. Let’s hope he can keep that to a minimum.

— Edward Beauchamp, Lakewood

State should look to make money with its money

With a state budget of approximately $145 billion, the best thing for California would be to raise the proposed $1.6 billion “rainy day fund” to at least $3 billion. It would be better if we invested it in a California venture where we would get a return.

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